The Lyric Lab : Picture The Homeless Residency Audio Compilation

All of these tracks were recorded at a residency held recently at Picture the Homeless with its participants. June 1st 2017picturethehomeless.org/

The Lyric Lab is an innovative arts program that works with youth and adults from marginalized communities, teaching creative writing through the lens of poetry — more specifically but not limited to Hip Hop. By bringing writing workshops and the ability to record directly into the space where participants are already at, be it a school, community center, senior program, homeless shelter or correctional facility, The Lyric Lab focuses on documenting students’ work with the full understanding that as we do this, we are truly “Building Community One Voice at a Time.”

The Lyric Lab has been a program in the making for the past 15 years. The founder, Raymond Ramirez, has worked as a consultant for various arts programs and began using Hip Hop and recording students in the late 1990s. Working initially with S.C.A.N. NY (Supportive Children’s Advocacy Network) at the JHS 99 Beacon Program in East Harlem, and at various schools for Teachers and Writers Collaborative throughout the city, the Hip Hop workshop was born. Over the years the name has changed until finally The Lyric Lab was established in the Fall of 2016.